Windows – My monitor’s power button is broken – how to black out the display without unplugging it

displaysleepwindows 10windows 7

Occasionally, I leave my computer turned on all night with some program running. If the computer logged off or sleep, the program is stopped. The monitor light is bright enough to disturb my sleep. My monitor power button is broken. I have to pull out the monitor power cable to turn it off.

I've tried to reduce all the contrast and color to 0. But, it is still not enough. How to make my monitor completely black without make it sleep or logged off and keep the program running? My monitor is
HP ZDisplay.

Notes:

  • The program I running is auto move the mouse cursor (something like mouse recorder).
  • I do not want to cover my monitor with some blanket or other thing.

Best Answer

Since you're having issues with the other answers so far:

  • "it prevent my program from running"
  • "I think it's not force turn off the display. I've just test it"
  • "the main problem is how to keep my program running with black screen. Most third party program stopped my program from running."

You're saying pretty clearly that your mystery program is just not going to co-operate with a software solution. You're just going to have to "think outside the desktop" & tackle the real problem:

Fix the power button.

You might get lucky and it's just dirty (like a remote control), or you say "it's missing the button to press" so just replace it with any similar shaped object, wood, plastic, a marble, tape it in & press away.

Or at least do the next best thing:

Install another power switch inline on the monitor's power cord

Use an inline lamp switch / inline rocker switch:

enter image description here

They're quite easy to install, just carefully strip the wire & attach according to the specific switch, there shouldn't even be any soldering or shrink tubing required. They usually only switch the "hot" wire, and of course unplug the wire first! Better search for how to install an inline rocker switch to see some videos too.

Oops, I just read the "I don't want to cover the monitor" line, after typing the next part... Well, give it a second thought, it's probably the easiest solution. Just put some cloth over the monitor & cover it up. It shouldn't be hot enough to start a fire or anything hazardous (if it is that's a separate problem), so buy a cover or use a shirt or a cardboard box, basically anything opaque.

If you're concerned about extra heat from covering it completely wearing away at the remaining life of your monitor, then don't cover it up completely. You really only need to block the screen side, so lean a piece of cardboard up against the screen, or optionally use paperclip "hooks" to hold/hang it, and let the other 5 sides breathe free:

enter image description here A nearly-finished DIY screen cover, just bend to fit.

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